This invention concerns a cyclone separator having multiple-vaned gas inlets. Although cyclone separators are known for removing suspended solids from gases, the cyclone separator of the design described herein is not known. Some typical cyclone separator designs are shown in the Third Edition of Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook (1950) published by McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York City.
Cyclone separators have been proposed for use in engine exhaust gas traps to remove solid particles, especially lead-containing particles from the exhaust gas. For adequate removal of the lead particles by art-known cyclone separators, the gas pressure at their gas inlets must be substantially greater than at their outlets putting a greater demand on an engine with a resulting loss in fuel economy and power. Furthermore, cyclone separators operating at high pressure drops are known to have poor particle collection efficiency per unit pressure drop.
In automotive use, traps that contain cyclone separators are normally mounted on the vehicle underside. Since art-known cyclone separators require a large amount of space to accommodate their gas inlets, traps containing them are bulky and complicate the engineering design problem of allowing adequate road clearance.
Cyclone separators are known in the art to be useful for separating suspended solid particles from an exhaust gas, said separators comprising
I. a cylindrical first shell having an open first end and a second end closed except for an opening designed to accommodate a gas outlet tube; said shell having a gas inlet in its periphery near its second end, said shell having a gas outlet tube sealably mounted in the opening in the second end of the shell, said outlet tube being coaxial with the shell, extending into the shell past the gas inlet, and separated from the gas inlet; and PA1 Ii. a second shell, cylindrical or conical in shape, having two open ends, the first open end sealably engaging, communicating with, and coextensive with the open first end of the cylindrical first shell, and the second open end being a solids discharge opening located beyond the end of the gas outlet tube that extends into the cylindrical first shell, in the direction away from the closed end of the cylindrical first shell. PA1 i. a cylindrical first shell having an open first end and a second end closed except for an opening designed to accommodate a gas outlet tube; said shell having a gas inlet in its periphery near its second end, said shell having a gas outlet tube sealably mounted in the opening in the second end of the shell, said outlet tube being coaxial with the shell, extending into the shell past the gas inlet, and separated from the gas inlet; and PA1 ii. a second shell of circular periphery having two open ends, the first open end sealably engaging, communicating with, and coextensive with the open first end of the cylindrical first shell, and the second open end being a solids discharge opening located beyond the end of the gas outlet tube that extends into the cylindrical shell, in the direction away from the closed end of the cylindrical shell; wherein the improvement comprises PA1 iii. the gas inlet consisting of from 3 to about 30 elongated inlet openings (like the openings in a louver) located in the periphery of the cylindrical shell, and disposed axially therein, each opening having a guide vane (like the vanes in a louver) positioned to deflect incoming gas in a circular path from the gas outlet tube.